Sources say that no particular incident precipitated WMVP's decision not to pick up the option on the final year of McNeil's contract, reportedly worth more than $600,000 annually, but the cumulative effect of past run-ins, self-inflicted controversy and suspensions could have played a role in his departure.

McNeil is under contract to WMVP into May but will remain off the air.

Replacing him alongside John Jurkovic and Harry Teinowitz for the foreseeable future will be Carmen DeFalco, who has had a variety of roles at the station, including backing up McNeil.

"We're looking to try some new things in the afternoon, and given the economic climate, we feel like this is the right time to do it," WMVP boss Jim Pastor, who is regional general manager for ESPN Radio, said in a prepared statement.

"Mac's played a big part in ESPN 1000's success. This afternoon I thanked him for that and wished him well in the future."

McNeil was unavailable for comment.

This is the second major, well-paid Chicago sports talk star to get divorced from his station in less than a year. Mike North left WSCR-AM 670 in 2008 when the station wanted him to take a pay cut.

North bided his time with an Internet radio program and on Monday launched a Comcast SportsNet morning TV show that reunites him with former WSCR partner Dan Jiggetts.

Despite his popularity, McNeil has been suspended many times over the course of more than 20 years in Chicago sports radio. His last big public blow-up came in June of 2007, when he insulted a female Comcast SportsNet executive on the air.

He spent 19 days sidelined a year earlier after an ugly on-air spat with co-host Teinowitz, which supposedly led WMVP to tell McNeil there would be a "zero tolerance" policy regarding future incidents.

McNeil joined WMVP after ending a nine-year afternoon stretch at WSCR-AM 670 in late 2000. He began his radio career at WGN-AM 720 in 1985 as a producer.

He later was executive producer of Chet Coppock's weeknight sports talk show and Chicago Bulls broadcasts on WLUP-AM 1000.